Building on Progress : expanding the research infrastructure for the social, economic, and behavioral sciences. Vol. 1

This publication provides a comprehensive compendium of the current state of Germany's research infrastructure in the social, economic, and behavioural sciences. In addition, the book presents detailed discussions of the current needs of empirical researchers in these fields as well as of opportunities for future development. The importance of solid data for both public policy and the social and economic sciences is obvious. Today, empirical research is essential in finding solutions to many of the major challenges our society faces, such as environmental change, turbulent financial markets, and population growth. Based on 68 advisory reports by more than 100 internationally recognised authors from a wide range of fields, the book provides recommendations by the German Data Forum (RatSWD) on how to improve the research infrastructure so as to create conditions ideal for making Germany's social, economic, and behavioural sciences more innovative and internationally competitive. PREFACE BY THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (BMBF) ......Page 6 Table of Contents ......Page 10 EDITORS......Page 16 PREFACE BY THE GERMAN DATA FORUM(RATSWD)......Page 18 RECOMMENDATIONS......Page 24 EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES......Page 48 ADVISORY REPORTS......Page 102 1. Providing a Permanent Institutional Guarantee forthe German Information Infrastructure......Page 104 2. The European Dimension......Page 122 3. The Role of the German Research Foundation......Page 134 4. Providing Data on the European Level......Page 146 5. Infrastructure for High-Quality andLarge-Scale Surveys......Page 162 6. The Availability of Market Research Data and itsPotential for Use in Empirical Social andEconomic Research......Page 182 1. The Recommendations of the 2001 KVI Report andTheir Realizations up to 2008......Page 196 2. Access to Microdata from official statistics......Page 222 3. Publicly Financed Survey Data:Access and Documentation......Page 238 4. Teaching and Statistical Training......Page 258 5. e- Infrastructure for the Social Sciences......Page 272 1. Macroeconomic Data......Page 294 2. Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Surveys......Page 310 3. Geodata......Page 332 4. Regional Data......Page 348 5. Genetically Sensitive Sample Designs......Page 360 6. Biological Variables in Social Surveys......Page 374 7. Administrative Transaction Data......Page 390 8. Transaction Data: Commercial Transaction Surveysand Test Market Data......Page 408 9. Time Use and Time Budgets......Page 420 1. Survey Methodology: International Developments......Page 458 2. Improving Research Governance through Use ofthe Total Survey Error Framework......Page 478 3. Metadata......Page 494 4. Paradata......Page 516 5. Record Linkage from a Technical Point of View......Page 538 6. Experiments, Surveys and the Use ofRepresentative Samples asReference Data......Page 554 7. Experimental Economics......Page 570 8. Experience Sampling......Page 588 9. Virtual Worlds as Petri Dishes for the Social andBehavioral Sciences......Page 604 10. Qualitative Interviewing of Respondents inLarge Representative Surveys......Page 614